


Corrupted mind

by themerrymutants



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 13:27:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7759540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themerrymutants/pseuds/themerrymutants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Serpentine wanting to rescue her journals from destruction risks running out to get them but like so many other gems gets corrupted. Several thousand years after her corruption only a small part remains until an old friend happens by.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Corrupted mind

There had been a sound an awful, horrible sound. Some sort of twisted song that twisted those who listened. She’d tried to run, to get back to safety, to friends, but she wasn’t fast enough. She supposed this was her final lesson in why she shouldn’t try to run back for her belongings, shouldn’t try to hold on to what was.

“Tanzanite,” she murmured a tear streaking down her cheek at the thought of the gem she’d come to care so much for, the one who was so far away, but _safe_ , “I-“

Her voice was cut off as her body twisted and warped into some sick parody of itself. What had she become? Some slithering thing that could barely be registered as a gem. Her mind was broken and clouded, try as she might to hold on who she was slipped away from her like sand slipping through her fingers. She didn’t want to forget. She wanted to remember. She wanted to remember the gem that made her feel good weird, who made her laugh, who’d protected her from her own curiosity, who’d listened to her wild theories about Ee-ar-th and what the fantastic creatures trapped in stone once looked like.

She clung to what memories she had left of him like a drowning man would a life preserver. He was the one thing that kept her from going completely away. Oh she still ran almost completely on instinct but some, very small, part of her was still there, still screaming, still crying for her Tanzanite to come save her.

 

**5,234 years later**

“Tanzanite are you sure you’re up for this? You took quite a beating,” Garnet said.

“I can stand therefore I can fight,” he replied summoning his shield and spear. Maybe. Just maybe…

The corrupted gem they were hunting was relatively peaceful, honestly it was a shame they had to bother it at all, but it couldn’t stay and they were far kinder than the humans that would inevitably come after it if they didn’t. Taking a breath, they made their way into the jungle the snake creature had taken refuge in.

It didn’t take long to find it curled up in a den marked with strange glowing murals. Tanz froze. He recognized the events. No. Please no.

“Tanz?”

“It’s her,” he murmured, “Garnet it’s her.”

He put aside his weapons carefully approaching it no, not it, her, trying not to make any noise that’d spook Serpentine, or rather what was left of her. Any doubt that was in his mind was soon dispelled as he approached: the scales matched, and the corruption was missing her right arm. It was Serp.

\-----

She stirred at the sound of footsteps and muffled voices.

Intruders. Afraid. Voices. The voices. A faint something stirred within her as footsteps drew closer. She slowly lifted her head to gaze upon her visitor. Recognition. Friend! Her friend! He came! He came for her! He was safe! Safe, happy, notshattered, _good_. She let out a joyous noise that shook the walls of her safe place. She tried to slither to him pull him into the embrace she so desperately wanted, _needed_ , ~~please~~. He lept back and grabbed his pointy stick freezing her. Why did he have his stick? It was ok now. It was right again.

She moved to go to her walls, her paintings, memories, show him, but instead was met with a fist. Why? Next punch she dodged trying to flee to her squiggles, her squiggles were safe. She couldn’t understand why they were anymore but she knew they were good. She just managed to grab one when she felt her tail get grabbed and pulled dragging her and the squiggle she’d grabbed back towards friend/not friend. She curled up around her squiggle her body trembling. She didn’t want this. She was scared. Why wasn’t friend saving her?

The fist one moved towards her but was stopped by friend.

“Hold on,” he said. Stick still in hand he cautiously approached.

She looked up at him eyes wide with fear trying to hold onto her squiggle and scramble away from him at the same time. Her back pressed against the wall. Forcing her to look up at him. Or rather his stick which was being raised again. Her squiggle! Like a shield she held it up and he stopped.

Recognition, features softening, stick was put down, _safe._

“Can I see that?”

She held it out to him further nearly jamming him with it until he took it.

He flipped through the pages every once in a while looking back to the fist one who seemed to be glaring at her. He looked and looked through the squiggle until he finally closed it. She took a chance and slowly slithered over to her drawings motioning for him to follow. She kept every movement slow, she didn’t want to get undone, stopping just before a crude drawing of two gems. Crude as they were it was easy to tell they were happy.

She pointed to the smaller of the two then to herself, then the larger and to him. He gave her a strange look and she repeated it this time pointing more fervently until she finally saw recognition.

“You and me?” he questioned stepping closer. She nodded furiously. He got it. She was there and he was there and all was right and good. “Serp…”

“We have to, it’s the only way for her to be truly safe,” fist said, “I’m sorry.”

He nodded looking down at the ground for a moment. “Serp it’ll be ok. You’ll be safe, and your books will be safe. I’ll be right here.”

Where was fi- *poof*

\----

“I’ve got you Serp,” he murmured bubbling her gemstone and sending it back to the temple. “She was always afraid of this. Being poofed. She was afraid she wouldn’t come back right.”

“Tanz, I’m so sorry. But we did the right thing,” Garnet said. “Let’s go.”

“Go ahead. I promised her we’d keep her books safe. They won’t be safe here.”

She wanted to argue but knew Tanz needed the time alone so, with a heavy heart, she let him be.

**Author's Note:**

> Tanzanite belongs to my friend over on tumblr who I wrote this lil drabble(?) for.


End file.
